12 Bones Smokehouse River - Asheville

Yummy place to stop for lunch. They definitely seem to cater more to ribs for their meat. We both got the Philly rib sandwich (daily special) and it was so delicious. It had plenty of rib meat and a delicious cheese sauce with peppers and onions. Both of the sides were outstanding- we had the corn pudding and smoked potato salad. The beer was also delicious- one of the best hazy IPAs I’ve had in a while. It is a bit on the pricier side for a lunch. Yes, you have to stand in line to order but that is very typical of many BBQ restaurants. They have inside and outside seating. There’s some little artsy shops within walking distance as well.

How can you call yourself a smokehouse when you aren’t smoking your meat? Ribs were dry, tough and overly charred. No smoke ring or smoky taste at all. The mustard sauce was good and made them edible. The corn pudding was a sweet and crumbly concoction. I wouldn’t want it again. The Mac and cheese was good, the cornbread had a good taste but was dry as a bone. They want a tip but you serve yourself. Also, they call this an art district but it’s a bunch of buildings covered in graffiti. I was more worried about ending up on an episode of forensic files than eating lunch.

This restaurant was recommended to us while visiting the art district in Asheville. Someone said it was the best BBQ in Asheville. That sounded enticing for us to want to try it. The first problem I found is that the menu was rather limiting if you wanted to sample several things at once. For instance, I wanted to try chicken and ribs. However, they don 't sell a combo with both which is very odd. The most moderately priced item on the menu is the rib sandwich, which quite frankly, was mediocre. Not a lot of ribs on the sandwich and it tasted just average. I am from New Jersey and we have better BBQ places than this with a larger menu and the opportunity to pair more different meat items together. Another problem was that there was no table service. You need to stand on a line, which often is quite long, to place your order. Once the order was placed we didn 't wait more than 10 minutes for someone to bring it out to us. You can order a fountain drink and it seems refills are free, which is one of the better aspects I found of this restaurant. Overall, the meal was good, but the menu seemed limited with little chance to pair different meats together. The sides were decent but not memorable. Can 't say this was nearly the best BBQ that I have ever had.

Second time at this very good BBQ restaurant. The Pulled pork sandwich was huge. Try the smoked Potatoe Salad....very good.

This place was busy with a line out the door the entire time we were there! This is usually a sign the place is good! We were a bit disappointed that brisket is only available certain days of the week, but the pulled pork, potato salad, and chicken wings were delicious. This place is very casual with ordering at a counter and self-serve soft drinks. There are many places to browse art galleries within close walking distance.